NIU’s Penguin Players returns to the Cavan Auditorium stage this fall with “The Pinocchio Show.”
A campus-wide, cross-college effort is underway to resurrect the theater troupe for “artists” – adults with special needs – and “mentors” from the Huskie student body.
The College of Education, College of Health and Human Sciences and College of Visual and Performing Arts are partnering in the curtain-going-back-up initiative for Penguin, which took its most recent bow in December 2025 with the retirement of co-founders Joe and Barb King.
Foundational conversations and planning brought together deans from all three colleges, department chairs and NIU graduate student Carrie Szostak.
Claudie Ramon, a 2025 alumna of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, now has been hired as executive producer.
Amanda Borosh, assistant professor in the Department of Special and Early Education is serving as faculty liaison, a role that positions her as a “consultant in disability.”
“The student-directors and Claudie are really running the production,” says Borosh, who brings a background in musical theater and opera who originally majored in music before switching to special education.
“I see myself being more of a consultant if they’re providing information, or training, the mentors on, ‘What is disability? What is neurodiversity? How do we talk about disability in a respectful way? How do we interact with adults who have disabilities?’ ” she adds. “It’s things like avoiding infantilization, which is a big problem with adults when we might treat them like children, and adaptations or accommodations.”
Even though she’s never sat in the audience to watch NIU’s Penguins in action, she is certain of what those performers take with them.
Among those positive benefits are improved skills in communication and memory.
But “the main thing is the ability to have social interactions with other adults in the community,” Borosh says.
“A lot of research shows that once adults with disabilities graduate from high school, or finish their transition programs, their social network completely decreases or goes away,” she adds. “This is building relationships with other people in the community who are also adults, and these are friendships, not just ‘I help you’-type relationships.”
Sherrill R. Morris, associate dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Health and Human Sciences, is proud to see her students become involved as directors and mentors in a project she calls “truly transformative.”
The current student-director is a Communicative Disorders major.
“The interdisciplinary nature of Penguin Players creates rich opportunities for learning and personal growth. Participants benefit from a supportive, engaged community united by a shared purpose and a commitment to one another,” Morris says.
“NIU students who serve as mentors or take on leadership roles in the production often describe the experience as life-changing. In fact, some have altered their career paths to include a focus on supporting individuals with disabilities,” she adds.
Meanwhile, “the impact is equally evident among the artists.”
“Anyone fortunate enough to meet an artist can quickly sense their excitement and anticipation for the next rehearsal or performance,” she says. “Because no prior theater experience is required and there is a role for everyone, students and artists learn alongside one another in a collaborative and inclusive environment.”
Gibson Cima, associate professor of Theatre History and head of NIU’s Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Studies program, is excited to join in the Penguin revival and to build on what it provides his students.
“B.A. Theatre Studies students have always gravitated toward Penguin Players as an extracurricular activity,” Cima says, “but we now are looking forward to incorporating the program into our curriculum as part of a planned emphasis in applied theater.”
Ramon, meanwhile, is happy to resume spending Tuesday and Thursday afternoons in the Cavan.
The third-grade teacher at Founders Elementary School in DeKalb District 428 was a part of seven Penguin shows during her undergraduate years at NIU, where she earned a B.S.Ed. in Elementary Education with an emphasis in special education.
Her job as executive producer includes choosing shows, securing performance rights, overseeing the Creative Team, adjusting scripts as necessary and consistently communicating with artists and their families.
“I think it was a good idea to go with a producer who had Creative Team experience,” Ramon says, “and I’m excited to do anything I can to help bring this back because I know it was so important to so many people. I’m making sure that we know what we’re doing, we’re on task and that things are going the way they’re supposed to – smoothly and on schedule.”
She performed in theater throughout middle school and high school and enjoyed the unique opportunity to continue while learning more about special education – and about theater jobs that aren’t on stage.
“It was just such a great community to be around,” Ramon says. “I had done costume crew before, but I had never done set. I had never directed. I had never choreographed. It was really cool for me to be able to lead in all those opportunities.”
Ramon hopes many current Huskies of all majors will follow the path she walked before graduation.
“They will learn that people with disabilities are capable of so many wonderful, amazing things. They’re just like everybody else, and it’s like what we always say at Penguin: Give them the right environment, and they’re going to fly. They’re going to thrive,” she says.
“I feel it gives you a really good perspective on life, too,” she adds, “and they get friendships out of it. It’s community and collaboration and putting something together to perform and do this big thing. Our shows are always sold out.”
Borosh is quick to emphasize Ramon’s importance to the process.
“We are so excited and grateful for Claudie stepping up into the executive producer role,” Borosh says. “She is an organized, passionate and experienced leader whose direct knowledge and experience with Penguin Players is invaluable to NIU as we make this transition.”
And with rehearsals already underway for December’s production, Borosh is thinking of the future.
As the new principal investigator of the DeKalb County Community Mental Health Board grant that partially endows Penguin, she is looking for additional funding avenues “to make sure that we are sustainable.”
The team’s five-year vision aspires to find a larger rehearsal and performance venue and, as a result, the ability to boost the cast of actors and mentors.
“We don’t want Penguin Players to be stifled by space. We want it to be as big as it should be and as it can be,” Borosh says. “I hope we’re also able to broaden the array of support needs of people who are participating, maybe even to include individuals who are non-vocal or who have higher support needs to give them an opportunity to perform.”
Joe and Barb King look forward to that day and to their seats in the audience.
“For 15 years, launching Penguin Project and creating Penguin Players was a pure passion project for Barb and me, but we realized long ago that to make it sustainable, it was going to require more resources than we could muster on our own, so we were very excited when NIU agreed to pick up the torch,” Joe King says.
“We are eager to see what the university can do to expand and improve the learning experiences for students,” he adds. “We are also thrilled to see that they have a great team of students and alumni this semester to ensure that the magic at the heart of the program remains.”
